Activities for kids and teens (and adults too!)
There are some fantastic resources available for children and teenagers to learn about the environment and climate change and to have a go at practical activities. It’ll keep them occupied too! Here are just a few suggestions.
Young People’s Trust for the Environment (www.ypte.org.uk)
A great source of information for both kids and teens from fun facts to more advanced factsheets and practical activities you can do with them. There are also a number of resources specifically aimed at parents and teachers. Here are some examples of what you can find on their website:
- Build a bug hotel
- Climate change for parents: the facts
- Family home learning pack: reduce, re-use, recycle
Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (www.wwt.org.uk)
WWT, based at Slimbridge in Gloucestershire, offers a mix of home learning and fun activities for children and families to connect with nature. The learning materials, including indoor and outdoor activities, cover two age groups – 5-7 year olds and 7-11 year olds. Here are some examples of what you can find in the ‘Discover’ section of their website:
You could pay them a visit as well!
The Eden Project (www.edenproject.com)
The Eden Project, an educational charity, is about connecting people with each other and the living world and exploring how everyone can work towards a better future. Explore the ‘Eden at Home’ section of the website for free resources and ideas for everyone at home. Below are some examples of activities for kids, but actually it’s a great resource for adults as well.
- Recycle a milk carton into a beautiful bird
- Sunshine bracelets activity
- How to make a recycled marble run
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (www.rspb.org.uk)
The RSPB website has a ‘Fun and Learning’ section for families, kids and teachers. This includes a range of activities and factoids, but also short stories for kids to read and a range of audio stories for them to listen to. Here are a couple of examples of what you’ll find:
Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust (www.gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk)
Our very own local wildlife trust has activities for children split into ‘Spring and Summer’, ‘Autumn and Winter’, ‘Rainy Days’ or ‘Anytime’. Here’s an example of what you’ll find and of course you can find out about all the nature reserves and visitor centres at the same time and plan a visit!
Severn Trent Water (www.severntrentwater.co.uk)
For all things water visit Severn Trent Water’s education zone. You’ll find lots of fun activities that kids can complete - either on their own or with help from parents and guardians or teachers - to learn even more about how water works and its vital role here on earth. Here are a couple of examples of what you’ll find:
NASA Climate Kids (www.climatekids.nasa.gov)
NASA Climate Kids is a website produced by the Earth Science Communications Team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It has games, activities, videos and lots of other stuff covering topics such as weather and climate, water, energy and plants and animals. Here are some examples of what you can find on their website: